Search

Yes, I know it’s Saturday but my Friday was so crazy that I didn’t have time to find my usual five minutes to write. So, please indulge me by still reading my take on Five Minute Friday today!

Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking. Topic – remember.

GO

One of my favorite memories from my childhood is Christmastime with my family. Specifically our Christmas ski trip that we took each year to Zermatt, Switzerland the week before Christmas. I was in high school at the time and, therefore, too cool most times to associate with my younger brother and sister in public and I exuded the typical teenage attitude towards my parents.

Somehow, though, gathered together in the family minivan and beginning the several hour long journey from our home in Wiesbaden, Germany to Zermatt, all defensive walls would come down. I still remember the breathtaking beauty of driving through the mountains of Switzerland, winding down the hills with sheep grazing in the fields alongside, the patches of snow on the ground and the frost on the windows as the sounds of Christmas music softly floated from the speakers.

We would drive singing and staring out the windows for a few hours until riding on the car train into another small town. I remember the strong smell of moth balls during this car train ride; which was a small rickety train that passed through a tunnel in the mountain that would make any claustrophobic person hyperventillate. But, after this 20 minute train ride, we drove a few minutes to the next location where we would pay and park the car before boarding the final train to Zermatt. The last portion of this trip to Zermatt was always the most exciting for me because I knew that waiting for us once we got off the train would be the quaint little town with no cars, cobblestoned streets, horsedrawn carriages, little children playing ice hockey in the town square and beautiful Christmas lights through the streets all with the amazing Matterhorn hovering magnificently above the town.

And, though it’s been over 10 Christmases since we’ve made that trip, I still cry tears of joy when I hear “Christmas Like a Lullaby” by John Denver and remember happier times when my family was all still together.

Hi There!

Welcome to my little home in cyberspace and thank you for visiting! I am single working mother and aspiring writer. Read along as I attempt to stumble through everyday life with it's trials in newfound single life and motherhood, all the while feeding in to my passion for storytelling and my growing fascination with photography.